Mbappe hints at ´fourth striker´ role in Real Madrid

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe said he was his coach's "fourth-choice striker" in an interview on Thursday, while also hinting that the club's January sacking of Xabi Alonso had been a mistake, reported Xinhua.

Mbappe was speaking to TV cameras after coming on as a substitute with 20 minutes left in his side's 2-0 home win over Real Oviedo.

He was booed by most of the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium when he replaced striker Gonzalo Garcia, and booed again every time he touched the ball.

"They're not happy. That's the only way to understand the boos," Mbappe said.

The French striker returned to action after a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the match against Espanyol and last weekend's 2-0 defeat to FC Barcelona.

"It was a shame not to play against Barcelona, but that's life. I always score against them," Mbappe said, while insisting he was "one hundred percent fit."

The forward then hinted at a difficult relationship with coach Alvaro Arbeloa, saying, "I'm the manager's fourth-choice striker. I accept it and play the time they give me."

"I was ready to start. I'm not angry with the manager, as you always have to respect a coach's decision. I'll work hard to get back into the starting lineup. I prefer to speak here. There are people who don't speak... but I prefer to speak here, it's clearer," Mbappe said.

"My only responsibility is to play well as a player," he continued, before reflecting on a season in which Real Madrid had failed to win a single title.

"We started the season well, then we lost everything in the second half of the season. It hurts a lot," he said, in comments that could be read as a vote of support for former coach Alonso.

"I feel like we had a playing style, a structure, and we lost it. That hurts a lot for a player... I have a great relationship with Xabi. That's in the past. Everyone knows what I think of him. But we have to look ahead, at what we can improve and do better," the striker said.